Cabinets 101: Configuring A Network Or Server Cabinet

Cabinets 101: Configuring A Network Or Server Cabinet North, South and Central America White Paper May 2012 www.commscope.com

Contents Background Information 3 What is a network or server cabinet? 3 What is the difference between a network and a server cabinet? 3 What about the positioning of the rails? 4 What is the maximum load bearing capacity of the cabinets? 4 What about cooling? 4 How should cable management be handled? 4 What about security? 4 How to Build a Cabinet for Your Needs 5 What size cabinet should be purchased? 5 How many side panels are needed? 6 Are blanking panels needed? 7 What other air flow management components are there? 8 Does CommScope support side breathing equipment? 8 How about additional cooling? 9 What cable management options are there? 10 What happens if the equipment is not rack mountable? 11 What other accessories are available? 11 What about PDU s? 12 www.commscope.com 2

Background Information What is a network or server cabinet? A network or server cabinet is an enclosure usually made out of metal that is used in data center server rooms, computer rooms or wiring closets to house 19 in. (482.6 mm) rack mountable equipment such as servers and other IT and networking equipment. According to TIA/EIA standards, a 19 in. (482.6 mm) cabinet will have mounting rails which are 17 ¾ in. (450.9 mm) apart and whose height is measured in 1 ¾ in. (44.5 mm) unit increments (1U). Traditional sizes for cabinets include heights of 42U, 45U and 47U. A 42U has an internal rack unit height dimension of 73 ½ in. (1866.9 mm). However, the external dimensions vary between manufacturers. Conversely, a 45U has an internal height of 78 ¾ in. (2000.3 mm) and a 47U one of 82 ¼ in. (2089.2 mm). The widths of the cabinets will vary from model to model. Because the distance between the rails is a standard 17 ¾ in. (450.9 mm), any additional cabinet width is there to provide easier access and allow for cable management systems. Typical cabinet widths include 23.6 in. (600 mm) and 31.5 in. (800 mm). You may also hear these cabinets referred to as a 24 inch and a 32 inch cabinet respectively. However the math is not that clean. The real width of a 600 mm cabinet in inches is 23.62 in. and the 800 mm is 31.5 in. Some customers in the US are pretty adamant that they want true 24 in. (609.6 mm) or 30 in. (762 mm) cabinets as they suit the two foot floor tiles in their data centre. Please make sure you discuss this with your customer and get the exact width requirements. Although cabinets wider than 31.5 in. (800 mm) are available, they are not as popular because of space constraint in the data center and server rooms. CommScope offers several standard sizes of cabinets including 42U and 47U as well as two different widths, 23.6 in. (600 mm) and 31.5 in. (800 mm). What is the difference between a network and a server cabinet? The lines dividing network and server cabinets have blurred much throughout the years. Since both network and server cabinets can come in the same heights (e.g. 42U, 45U and 47U) and the same widths (e.g. 23.6 in. (600 mm) and 31.5 in. (800 mm)), what is the difference between a server and a network cabinet? The distinction usually comes down to just a question of depth and airflow. Server cabinets usually house network servers which are traditionally longer and require a deeper cabinet depth. Therefore cabinet depth of 31.5 in. (800 mm), 39.4 in. (1000 mm) and 47.2 in. (1200 mm) are common. On the other hand, network cabinets are mainly used to house routers, switches, patch panels and other networking equipment with depth requirements of less than 31.5 in. (800 mm). Understanding the equipment that is going to be installed in the cabinet is key to deciding the depth of the cabinet that will be required. Another difference between network and server cabinets can be in the basic construction of the front and sides, solid vs. perforated. Historically servers create a lot of heat and because of heat dissipation and thermal management requirements, server cabinets usually have perforated or vented fronts and backs. On the other hand, routers and patch panels do not generate as much heat, allowing network cabinets to be comprised of solid transparent tempered glass or plexiglass front door and solid rear panels. To comply to the requirements of both network and server cabinets, CommScope offers three standard cabinet depths: 31.5 in. (800 mm), 39.4 in. (1000 mm) and 47.2 in. (1200 mm). www.commscope.com 3

What about the positioning of the rails? The position of the 19 in. (482.6 mm) rails within the cabinet must also be considered. Some pieces of equipment project quite a way forward from the 19 in. (482.6 mm) rails so this would necessitate moving the rails back into the cabinet. All other equipment must then be installed on these rails so the deepest equipment would then define where the rear set of rails needed to be. Once again, it is important to understand the equipment that will be mounted in the cabinet. The position of the rails in the CommScope cabinet is fully adjustable. What is the maximum load bearing capacity of the cabinets? CommScope s line of network and server cabinets has a load bearing capacity of 3200 lbs. What about cooling? A typical method for cooling in a data center is the use of hot and cold aisles. By alternating rows of front and rear facing cabinets, hot and cold air flow can be directed and controlled. To accomplish this, the airflow through the cabinet has to be from front to back and requires perforated front and rear cabinet doors. Blank panels are used in places where there is no equipment bolted to the cabinet to improve air mobility. Furthermore, rear door mounting fans can be used to increase air flow and aid in its direction. CommScope offers cabinets with perforated front and rear doors. CommScope also offers several options for blanking panels as well as two different models of split door fans. A different approach for cooling is a top exhaust method. For this method to work the airflow is moved from the bottom to the top to the cabinet into a false ceiling or plenum where the hot air is directed to the return of the air conditioning. It is not uncommon to see a chimney venting up from the top of a cabinet into the open room. To accomplish this, the cabinet must have solid doors and an attachment on the top (traditionally called a chimney) to connect the cabinet to the plenum (or to direct the air upwards). CommScope does not offer a chimney exhaust option for our cabinets. How should cable management be handled? Today s enclosures are tasked with housing more and more equipment. Poor cable management may lead to damaged cables, performance degradation and costly downtime. Proper cable management ensures optimum data transmission, cost savings, and cable protection. In addition, proper cable management will increase airflow and therefore cooling of a cabinet. CommScope s current cabinet offering has options for cable management that can be placed in the rear of the cabinet in either or both sides. What about security? A key reason for a cabinet (instead of an open rack) can be security. Both network and server cabinets must have an option for a locking mechanism. All CommScope cabinets come standard with locks for both the front and rear doors. www.commscope.com 4

How to Build a Cabinet for Your Needs What size cabinet should be purchased? CommScope offers the following sizes for cabinets (see list below). The first step would be selecting one of these sizes. There are several key items that you will need to consider when selecting a cabinet: Dimensions in inches are approximate; the true measurements are in millimeters Consider the dimensions of the deepest server and make plenty of room to plug in power and cabling Consider the positioning of the rails and if the rails will need to move back to accommodate a particular piece of equipment. For example, if you are including a Horizontal Cable Manager, the rails will have to move back about 6 inches so make sure your cabinet is deep enough to accommodate for this. Ideally the largest cabinet should be installed as this helps to future proof the cabinet and allows room for larger pieces of equipment to be installed at a later date. Here is a list of standard CommScope cabinets. Type Size in millimeters Size in inches 760149708 Network Bay Cabinet 42U 600 X 800 42U 80 in. H x 24 in. W x 32 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door* 760150664 Network Bay Cabinet 42U 800 X 800 42U 80 in. H x 32 in. W x 32 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door* 760142927 Network Bay Cabinet 42U 800 X 800 42U 80 in. H x 32 in. W x 32 in. D Viewing Window Partially Perforated Front, Split Rear Door 760143016 Server Bay Cabinet 42U 600 X 1000 42U 80 in. H x 24 in. W x 40 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door 760143032 Server Bay Cabinet 42U 800 X 1000 42U 80 in. H x 32 in. W x 40 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door 760143024 Server Bay Cabinet 42U 600 X 1200 42U 80 in. H x 24 in. W x 48 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door 760143040 Server Bay Cabinet 42U 800 X 1200 42U 80 in. H x 32 in. W x 48 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door 760143057 Server Bay Cabinet 47U 600 X 1000 47U 88 in. H x 24 in. W x 40 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door 760143073 Server Bay Cabinet 47U 800 X 1000 47U 88 in. H x 32 in. W x 40 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door 760143065 Server Bay Cabinet 47U 600 X 1200 47U 88 in. H x 24 in. W x 48 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door 760143081 Server Bay Cabinet 47U 800 X 1200 47U 88 in. H x 32 in. W x 48 in. D Fully Perforated Front Door, Split Rear Door * This cabinet option is offered as a custom product and as such will have longer lead times for delivery. www.commscope.com 5

How many side panels are needed? As mentioned earlier, CommScope cabinets do not come with side panels. When baying several cabinets together, traditionally side panels would be needed on the end cabinets (one on each end). CommScope side panels are sized according to the height and the depth of the cabinet and they come two to a pack. Therefore, when baying several cabinets together, each end of the row of cabinets would be open and panels would need to be ordered for the ends, ordering only quantity one of the applicable. As with the cabinets, the side panels are of steel construction and have textured black powder coated finish. Here is a list of CommScope side panels. 760143941 Side Panel 42U x 32 in. /31.5 in. (800 mm) (2) 760143958 Side Panel 42U x 40 in. / 39.4 in. (1000 mm) (2) 760143966 Side Panel 42U x 48 in. /47.2 in. (1200 mm) (2) 760143974 Side Panel 47U x 40 in. / 39.4 in. (1000 mm) (2) 760143982 Side Panel 47U x 48 in. /47.2 in. (1200 mm) (2) www.commscope.com 6

In addition to the side panels, CommScope also offers divider panels intended to go between cabinets that are ganged together. The divider panels support the 39.4 in. (1000 mm) and 47.2 in. (1200 mm) depth and are available in a 42U and a 47U model. The panels have pass-thru openings that allow cabling between the ganged cabinets. Here is a list of the available divider panels. 760143990 Divider Panel 42U x 39.4 in. (1000 mm) 760144006 Divider Panel 42U x 47.2 in. (1200 mm) 760144014 Divider Panel 47U x 39.4 in. (1000 mm) 760144022 Divider Panel 47U x 47.2 in. (1200 mm) Are blanking panels needed? When a cabinet is only partially filled, airflow management can be improved by installing blanking panels. These panels go across the front of the mounting rails where equipment would be bolted. The width of these panels is the standard width of the 19 in. (482.6 mm) mounting rail and the height is measured in units of 1U. Two of the panels (a 1U and a 3U) are made of steel and mount via a series of clips that require no specific tool. The other panel is a 1U plastic snap-on cover which does not require a tool for installation. Here is a list of the available blanking panels. 760144386 Toolless Blanking Panels 3U (5 per pack) 760144378 Toolless Blanking Panel 1U (10 per pack) 760144360 Toolless Plastic Panel 1U (12 per pack) www.commscope.com 7

What other air flow management components are there? The air brush baffles are a series of brushes that are designed to mount to the rails on the top, bottom, and both sides. The brushes are intended to block air and redirect it where needed. The baffles are made to block airflow through the sides of the cabinets (the area between the rails and the outer cabinet housing) as well as through the very top and the very bottom. By blocking these areas, airflow is forced across the different servers and equipment mounted onto the rails. In addition to the rails, we also offer bush rings intended to block air flow through the cable openings on the top panel of the cabinet. Each air brush baffle kit comes with enough components for a single rack. Each brush ring kit comes with four brush rings. 760144394 Air Brush Baffle 42U x 24 in. (609.6 mm) /23.6 in. (800 mm) 760144402 Air Brush Baffle 42U x 32 in. (812.8 mm) /31.5 in. (800 mm) 760144410 Air Brush Baffle 47U x 24 in. (609.6 mm) /23.6 in. (800 mm) 760144428 Air Brush Baffle 47U x 32 in. (812.8 mm) /31.5 in. (800 mm) 760144436 Brush Ring for Top Panel 4.4 in. (112 mm) Does CommScope support side breathing equipment? The last airflow management component CommScope offers is a side breathing air baffle. The baffle attaches to one side of the cabinet and redirects hot exhaust from side breathing equipment to the back of cabinet. It is designed for use with 31.5 in. (800 mm) wide cabinets and it supports the hot/cold aisle configurations. For a Cisco Nexus 7018 switch implementation, the air baffle has to reside inside a 39.4 in. (1000 mm) wide cabinet. 760148494 Side Breathing Air Baffle www.commscope.com 8

How about additional cooling? If the installation requires increased cooling, CommScope offers split rear door fans that take advantage of the front to rear airflow of most servers. These dual fan assemblies allow the user to position the fan assembly in the most critical location within the cabinet to minimize hot spots. Two high pressure fans, 105 cfm each, provide the ability to exhaust hot air out the rear of the enclosure at a dramatically higher rate than traditional roof mount fan trays. CommScope currently offers two types of fans. The fan assembly itself is identical with the cfm rating. The only difference is the dimensions of the mounting assembly, intended to support the split perforated door or the full width perforated door. Here are the two available dual fan assemblies. 760144477 Split Door Fan 115V 11.42 in. (290 mm) H X 8.31 in. (211 mm) W X 1.73 in. (43.9 mm) D 760144485 Split Door Fan 115V 11.42 in. (290 mm) H X 12.24 in. (310.9 mm) W X 1.73 in. (43.9 mm) D www.commscope.com 9

What cable management options are there? Proper cable management is critical to proper access, cooling and air flow. The CommScope in-cabinet cable manager is a simple, flexible and cost-effective way to organize your cables and patch cords. It is comprised of a 9U metal housing that attaches directly to the front or rear rails. The cable manager is available in 3.5 in. (89 mm) and 10 in. (254 mm) widths and is 9U in height. The cable manager can be installed in a stand alone or bayed configuration and multiple units can be installed to span the entire height of the cabinet. The cover for the cable manager is sold as a separate component and it also comes in the two aforementioned sizes. The cover comes in packs of four. In addition to the cable managers, CommScope also offers a cable collection claw and a slack spool. Last on the list of cable management options is the Velcro strap fastener. The Velcro strap attaches anywhere within the vertical rails with the included ¼ turn fastener. The Velcro straps come in packs of 10. Below is a list of CommScope s line of cable management accessories for our cabinets. 760144626 Cabinet Cable Management 3.5 in. (89 mm) W X 9U 760144600 Cabinet Cable Management 10 in. (254 mm) W X 9U 760144618 Cabinet Cable Management 3.5 in. (89 mm) W Cover 760144592 Cabinet Cable Management 10 in. (254 mm) W Cover 760144634 Cabinet Cable Management Cable Claw 760144642 Cabinet Cable Management Slack Spool 760144659 Cabinet Cable Management Velcro In addition to the in-cabinet cable management options specified above, CommScope also supports a line of roof-mounted cable management components. The roof-mounted cable management system makes cable management outside the cabinet easy. This intuitive solution easily fastens to the existing roof; just align the opening on the cable manager with the cable entry opening on the roof of the cabinet and snap in the ring grommets. The solution comes in two versions; the basic rooftop cable manager and the cable manager for ladder rack. The only difference between them is that the cable manager for ladder racks comes with an additional plate used to connect with a ladder rack system. The end caps (covers) for all versions are sold separately. Additional Snap Ring Grommets are also available for purchase. 760144535 Roofmount Cable Management 23.6 in. (800 mm) 760144543 Roofmount Cable Management 31.5 in. (800 mm) 760144550 Roofmount Cable Management End Covers 760144568 Roofmount Cable Management For LR 23.6 in. (800 mm) 760144576 Roofmount Cable Management For LR 31.5 in. (800 mm) 760144584 Roofmount Ladder Rack End Covers 760144469 Snap Ring Grommet www.commscope.com 10

What happens if the equipment is not rack mountable? For equipment that does not bolt directly onto the cabinet, CommScope offers two types of shelves and a set of telescopic rails. The shelves are made of heavy duty steel and have a vented bottom to aid in air circulation. The shelves come in two models, fixed or pull out, and are rated up to 250 lbs. In addition to the shelves CommScope also offers a set of telescopic rails. These telescopic support rails are designed to support components from underneath, and can support up to 200 lbs. 760144527 HD Fixed Shelf 250 lbs. capacity 760144501 HD Sliding Shelf 250 lbs. capacity 760144519 HD Support Rails 200 lbs. capacity What other accessories are available? A handful of items rounds off the product offering and they include items such as casters (CommScope cabinets come standard with leveling feet and casters are optional), baying kits (for ganging together two cabinets), grounding kits (for grounding to a central earthing point as well as among components such as the doors, side panels and roof plates), additional caged nuts and screw kits (your cabinet comes standard with fifty M6 nuts and one hundred M6 screws) and three different plates for mounting PDUs (or power strips). For a detailed list of components, see below. 760144030 Server Cabinet Caster Kit 760144048 Adjustable Leveling Feet 760144055 Bolt Down Clamps (set of 4) 760144063 Baying Kit 760144071 Complete Grounding Kit 760144089 M6 Caged Nut w/o contact (50pk) 760144097 M6 Caged Nut with contact (50pk) 760144105 Screw Kit - M6 X 0.5 in. (12 mm) Torx 300pk 760144113 Screw Kit - M6 X 0.6 in. (16 mm) Phillips 760144337 PDU Mounting Bracket for 1 PDU 760144345 PDU Mounting Bracket for 2 PDU 760144352 PDU Mounting Plate for PDU www.commscope.com 11

What about PDU s? CommScope offers a wide range of PDU options, such as current surge protection, circuit breakers and standard or twist-lock style NEMA plugs in both 15 and 20 amp strips. All PDUs are UL and cul certified. PDUs come in two main types: vertical and horizontal. The vertical PDU features twenty receptacles and it is 66 in. (1676.4 mm) in length. The horizontal PDU features 8 receptacles and it is 19 in. (482.6 mm) in length. Next is a list of the different PDUs options currently available. 760083600 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, Surge Protected, with Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083618 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, Surge Protected, with Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083626 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, No Surge Protection with Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083634 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, No Surge Protection with Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083642 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083659 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083667 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, Surge Protected, with Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083675 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, Surge Protected, with Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083683 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, No Surge Protection with Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083691 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, No Surge Protection with Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083709 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083717 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083725 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125/250V, 20A, No Surge Protection with Circuit Breaker, IEC320 Type C-20 Plug, Black 760083733 Vertical Power Distribution Strip, 125/250V, 20A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker, IEC320 Type C-20 Plug, Black 760083758 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, Surge Protected, with Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083766 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, Surge Protected, with Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083774 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, No Surge Protection with Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083782 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, No Surge Protection with Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083790 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083808 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 15A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083816 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, Surge Protected, with Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083824 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, Surge Protected, with Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083832 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, No Surge Protection with Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083840 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, No Surge Protection with Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083857 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker, Standard plug 760083865 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125V, 20A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker, Twistlock plug 760083881 Horizontal Power Distribution Strip, 125/250V, 20A, No Surge Protection, No Circuit Breaker IEC320 Type C-20 Plug, Black www.commscope.com 12

For more information on the CommScope line of cabinets, please contact: Tony Forrest Product Manager CommScope 1300 East Lookout Richardson, TX 75082 USA Office: (972) 792-3214 Cell: (972) 523-3092 tony.forrest@commscope.com www.commscope.com Visit our Web site or contact your local CommScope representative for more information. 2011 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks identified by or TM are registered trademarks or trademarks, respectively, of CommScope, Inc. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating to CommScope products or services. 04/12